See What This Couple Did With Their 200-Year-Old Home in Nova Scotia

Homeowner Katie-Rose inherited many unique pieces over the years, as her family was one of the first settlers in her small town. This dining room table is estimated to be over 150 years old.

Ever since she was a little girl, she and her father would scour the homes of her grandparents and great aunts for vintage pieces that they could give new life. “We were always on a budget, so it just worked to use what we had, instead of me dropping thousands of dollars on a table that would look the exact same,” she says. “I really love everything white, so we’d strip the piece down, stain the top, and paint it white. That way the look was always streamlined with the rest of our home.”

When Katie-Rose and Rob first moved in, the fireplace mantel was covered by a dated high-gloss pine box that stuck out in all the wrong ways. The couple was fairly certain the original mantel was hiding underneath, so they ripped off the covering to discover gorgeous wood and exposed beams. The fireplace surround was once a dark stone, but Katie-Rose decided to paint it white to lighten up the space. While it took her husband some convincing, he came around to the idea once he saw a few examples online. Now the dining area has the fun European look they were after.

“The dough bowl in the center was my husband’s grandfathers,” Katie-Rose says. “He was a chef and battered the fish in his restaurant using that bowl.”

This serene patio beautifully extends the living space to the great outdoors. Rob built his wife this table for Mother’s Day last year, keeping with the theme that everything in the home comes from the heart. Two of these chairs actually came with the house, while the other two were uncovered from the basement of Katie-Rose’s mother-in-law.

As if escaping to this backyard isn’t tranquil enough, two of Katie-Rose’s favourite beaches are about a 15 minute walk away (further evidence of all there is to love about living in Nova Scotia).

When it came to kid-friendly decor and baby-proofing the home, the couple admittedly winged it. As Katie-Rose puts it: “My son is four, he’s very hyperactive and we knew that if he was safe in the area, my daughter would be safe,” she says. “Our living room is made so the kids can relax in it, too.” The little wooden table for the tots definitely fulfills the brief.

Katie-Rose wanted to stay true to her roots and buck the trend that everything needs to look perfect. “The feel people want now is comfort,” she says. “On Instagram, you see those pristine houses where you can’t touch anything, and that’s not the look we’re going for at all. We want people to walk in and feel like they can sit back and throw their feet up on the coffee table without worrying.”

Walk up the stairs and you’re greeted by this precious hanging chair. Katie-Rose originally had a vision that this corner was going to be her office, but because the home is so old, the floor is about a 30-degree angle towards the center of the home, which isn’t exactly an ideal spot for a desk.

“We thought, why not put a chair outside the kids’ room? If a guest is ever sleeping in their room, I can still rock the kids in the swing chair, and company can continue using the space.” The couple’s son, Aubrey, also loves hanging out here to read.

“We love the slanted ceilings in Aubrey’s room because they make the space feel so cozy and comforting. Even my husband likes to sleep here sometimes, and the ceiling adds such character to the room,” Katie-Rose says. “My son is also obsessed with maps. He’s really smart and into numbers and places.” With that said, the couple doesn’t like to decorate with themes. Instead, they’ll outfit their little one’s spaces in whatever the kids gravitate towards. Their pup, Zeus, doesn’t mind the space either.

The master bedroom features this sitting area, which was Rob’s brainchild. “He wanted a lounge area where we could escape from the kids and have our own private space,” says Katie-Rose. “We ended up using a couch that we were going to chuck. My husband made the shelves as well, taking inspiration from similar ones he saw in a local cafe.”

Crisp white walls combined with scattered plants and wood elements give the bedroom the same farmhouse-chic aesthetic seen throughout the rest of the home. While some people pay hundreds for a vintage trunk similar to the blue one seen here, Katie-Rose actually found it at Value Village for $7.99.

When the couple moved in, there was nothing in the kitchen besides countertops and a few cupboards. Since Rob is a former chef, it became pretty clear that they needed an island where they could prepare proper meals and lounge around. So he grabbed a few shipping pallets to create the island’s base, then used a piece of wood from their grandparents’ milling business for the tabletop – and in one afternoon they had solved their space problem. The black pendant light was sourced from Katie-Rose’s late father-in-law’s barn. It was originally green and didn’t mesh with the rest of the home, so they freshened it up with a coat of black paint.

Another crate and a wood-burning fireplace help extend the farmhouse-chic theme throughout the kitchen.

The couple loved the idea of a gallery wall, but knew it had to be contained to an area of the house where it wouldn’t look overwhelming. So they opted for a wall in the dining room. It’s the only place in the home where Katie-Rose allowed for a busier look. It ended up being the perfect way to showcase all of their precious family moments (Katie-Rose is pictured here with her daughter, Poppy).